Bowl Game Previews: December 19th-22nd

Kyle Holden

The first full week of bowl games features nine games, including five during the week and four more on the weekend. While most of the more prominent programs do not start playing until the following week, the first week still includes a few household devy names even casual college football fans might recognize. The weekday games feature four Conference USA teams, and are highlighted below.

Boca Raton Bowl

Akron vs. Florida Atlantic

Tuesday, December 19th at 7PM EST on ESPN/WatchESPN

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Wide receiver Kwadarrius Smith has been one of the best players for Akron this season. He has 34 receptions for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. After transferring to the team in 2015 and sitting out a season, Smith is currently a redshirt junior.

Florida Atlantic running back Devin Singletary has been putting up video game-like numbers this season, rushing for 1796 yards and 29 touchdowns. He has scored in all but one game and rushed for at least 100 yards in each of his last 11 games. In addition, he was named the 2017 Conference USA Most Valuable Player. He has certainly helped head coach Lane Kiffin be successful in his first year at Florida Atlantic. While only 5’9’’ tall, Singletary uses great vision and quickness to effectively run between the tackles. Since he is only a sophomore, look for him to return to Florida Atlantic and terrorize opponents again next season.

Frisco Bowl

Louisiana Tech vs. SMU

Wednesday, December 20th at 8 PM EST on ESPN/WatchESPN

All eyes will be on SMU star wide receiver Courtland Sutton in this one. He could very likely be the first receiver selected in the NFL draft and in fantasy rookie drafts come April. While his reception and yardage totals are lower this year compared to last season, he still posted impressive numbers considering opposing defenses often made it a priority to stop him. He has a rare combination of size, speed, and athleticism which will likely lead an NFL team to select him early in the draft next April. I am anxious to see which team he lands with.

Also keep an eye on Louisiana Tech wide receiver Teddy Veal. He transferred from Tulane and was named Conference USA Co-Newcomer of the Year after sitting out a season. He really started thriving after the team moved him to his natural slot role.

Gasparilla Bowl

Temple vs. Florida International

Thursday, December 21st at 8 PM EST on ESPN/WatchESPN

Keith Kirkwood and Adonis Jennings are two senior Temple receivers who have each scored seven touchdowns this season. They could each make their way onto NFL rosters like fellow Temple receiver Robby Anderson. Like Anderson, Kirkwood and Jennings are taller, lankier receivers.

According to Pro Football Focus, Florida International receiver Thomas Owens had the highest yards per route run among draft-eligible receivers this season. He is clearly quarterback Alex McGough’s main target in the passing game, as his 59 receptions are nearly double the next-highest on the team. While Owens is nursing a knee injury and will not play in this bowl game, keep his name in mind next April as he could make some noise during the draft process. However, it will be challenging for Florida International to pull out the victory without such a key part of their offense.

Bahama Bowl

UAB vs. Ohio

Friday, December 22nd at 12:30 PM EST on ESPN/WatchESPN

Coach Bill Clark has remarkably brought UAB to a bowl game in their first season since being shut down. As a result, he was among the 16 semifinalists for the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award. As a team, UAB’s strength is their running game. Running back Spencer Brown has rushed for 1292 yards and ten touchdowns as a freshman so far this season, as he and quarterback A.J. Erdely have formed a nice rushing duo this year. Erdely has ran for a whopping 13 touchdowns to go along with his 16 passing touchdowns.

Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke has been a stud this year. He has thrown for 15 touchdowns and rushed for 21 more. As a result, he has really helped turnaround the Ohio offense that was sometimes lacking last year. Just a sophomore, he will return to Ohio next season and look to build upon his strong season. With Rourke leading the offense, Ohio has utilized balanced rushing and receiving attacks which include many contributors. Three different players have rushed for over 600 yards and four different receivers have over 300 receiving yards.

Idaho Potato Bowl

Central Michigan vs. Wyoming

Friday, December 22nd at 4 PM EST on ESPN/WatchESPN

Central Michigan has been led by sophomore running back Jonathan Ward and senior wide receiver Mark Chapman this season. However, do not forget about senior tight end Tyler Conklin, who some consider one of the better tight ends in the 2018 class. He has displayed great catching ability throughout his college career as he has routinely lined up as a receiver instead of in-line, which corresponds with what the role of an NFL tight end seems to be progressing towards.

Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen was and still is considered by some to be one of the top quarterbacks in college football. However, he has had a brutal season this year and has plummeted down many people’s rankings. Just a junior, Allen can still return for his senior season, which might be a wise decision considering how much his stock has dropped over the past few months. If he does decide to enter the NFL draft, will an NFL team fall in love with his size and arm strength enough to ignore his drop in production?

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kyle holden
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